'I know you're in hell right now': What it's like inside Lu Dort's impossible 'Dorture Chamber'

IN THE SECOND fractional of Game 7 of the Houston Rockets' first-round playoff bid against the Oklahoma City Thunder successful 2020, NBA expert Mark Jackson and his broadcast spouse Mark Jones couldn't judge what they were watching.

All nighttime they'd been watching the NBA's starring scorer, James Harden, conflict Luguentz Dort, who until past was an chartless Thunder rookie. And Harden was miserable. Everywhere helium went, Dort followed him.

With 2:55 remaining successful the 3rd quarter, Rockets manager Mike D'Antoni called a play, hoping to get Harden immoderate air.

The program was to acceptable three screens for the Rockets All-Star to get immoderate separation from the burly, relentless rookie who'd hounded Harden for the full series.

First it was Danuel House, who acceptable a surface for Harden arsenic helium ran cross-court astatine the elbow. Then, immediately, P.J. Tucker down House; then, finally, Jeff Green.

With space, the reasoning went, Harden could've turned the country and driven toward the handbasket for either a layup oregon a walk to each screener, rolling to the basket.

But Dort powered done all of them. Harden, exasperated, looked connected arsenic each opening rapidly closed, past settled for yet different agelong 3-pointer that clanked disconnected the beforehand of the rim.

"They acceptable three screens for him," Jackson said, empathizing with Harden's plight. "But Dort was capable to travel done each 3 of them and get backmost into the picture."

It was that crippled -- and this play -- erstwhile Dort started to recognize conscionable however large of an interaction helium could marque connected the game.

"That was my rookie year, truthful I wasn't truly noticing that I'm really that bully of a defender yet," Dort told ESPN. "So erstwhile they sent those 3 screens astatine me, I was like, 'God, they trying that overmuch conscionable to get maine disconnected his body?'"

They were. By the extremity of the game, Harden was exhausted and had made conscionable 4 of 15 shots, including 1-for-9 connected 3-pointers, and finished with 17 points, fractional his play average.

"I tin spot erstwhile idiosyncratic is getting uncomfortable," Dort said. "They'll commencement calling for screens and they privation the screener to instrumentality my caput off. That's the constituent wherever I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I got it. He don't similar me.'"

Dort didn't accidental thing to Harden during the crippled oregon after. He ne'er talks trash unless idiosyncratic says thing to him first.

"There's nary crushed for maine to accidental anything," Dort said. "Because I already cognize you're successful hellhole close now."

That hellhole would soon person a name, "The Dorture Chamber," and Dort has been placing the NBA's biggest starts wrong of it ever since.

WHEN DORT IS asked what helium wishes radical knew astir him, helium responds rapidly and plainly.

"That I'm not a villain," helium said.

This clip of year, it's a sanction helium gets called a lot.

"I'm ever connected the champion players, truthful I americium trying to marque the occupation pugnacious for them," Dort said. "But different than that, I'm a chill, chill guy."

Whereas different antiaircraft stoppers thin into the villain mentality -- Dillon Brooks virtually calls himself Dillon the Villain -- Dort doesn't question specified a moniker. If your favourite subordinate has a atrocious crippled against Dort, oregon comes distant from the matchup injured, similar Ja Morant did successful the Rockets' first-round bid versus the Grizzlies, Dort said helium does consciousness severely astir it.

"He'll travel into the locker country aft the game, aft thing happens, and he'll archer us, 'Obviously I didn't mean to wounded him,'" Thunder teammate Aaron Wiggins told ESPN.

But for Dort, this is basketball: Each matchup is simply a zero-sum game. He wins oregon helium loses.

"He's similar a gnat conscionable perpetually poking astatine you," Wiggins said. "You can't get escaped of it unless you truly termination it. But you can't termination him. No. He's going to support chasing you."

His occupation is to halt the different team's champion player. If helium doesn't bash his job, helium worries helium won't person 1 anymore.

This mightiness dependable hyperbolic for a subordinate who signed a five-year, $87.5 cardinal declaration successful 2022 and finished 4th successful this season's Defensive Player of the Year voting.

But Dort has seen firsthand however rapidly his hoops beingness tin alteration and isn't astir to spell backmost to a spot wherever that tin hap to him again.

Wiggins understands. They played against each different successful precocious school. Wiggins astatine Wesleyan Christian successful North Carolina, Dort astatine 1 of the 3 antithetic prep schools successful Florida that helium attended aft leaving his location successful Montreal astatine property 16.

Back then, the champion Canadian players often went to prep schools successful the United States to summation their visibility and level of competition.

Dort's teammate, recently minted MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, near his location successful Toronto astatine 17 and went to precocious schoolhouse successful the states.

"When I near Montreal astatine 16, I could hardly talk English," Dort said. "I had to spell to Jacksonville. It was a full civilization shock. But it benignant of built maine arsenic a person."

He was distant from location and everything he'd ever known, increasing up arsenic the lad of Haitian immigrants successful Montreal Nord.

"It's a pugnacious neighborhood, pugnacious spot to beryllium raised," said Nelson Osse, who was Dort's archetypal hoops manager and guided him done AAU shot and precocious school. "A batch of Lu's friends ended up successful gangs and worldly similar that."

As helium developed, Dort's estimation grew capable -- helium was a five-star enlistee arsenic a inferior -- that helium was capable to instrumentality to Canada arsenic a senior.

He chose to play for Bobby Hurley astatine Arizona State. Right away, Hurley said helium could archer Dort had NBA potential.

"His twelvemonth with maine was the archetypal clip and the lone clip I've swept Arizona," Hurley told ESPN. "And erstwhile I rolled into Tucson with him, and helium got disconnected the bus, I felt similar we got a existent changeable to vie with the athletes that Arizona mostly gets.

"It gave maine a antithetic level of assurance arsenic a coach, knowing the physicality helium had, and the diversion ability, however hard helium played. I knew we would person a accidental to win."

At the time, the lone sound connected Dort's crippled was an inconsistent shot. But helium inactive averaged 16 points per crippled arsenic a freshman and was projected by astir draught experts to beryllium a late-first-round oregon early-second-round pick.

Hurley raved astir him to anyone who called to inquire astir Dort's enactment ethic and character. He told them a communicative of however good Dort handled a benching aft a mediocre show against Colorado successful the Sun Devils' Pac-12 location opener.

"For a five-star kid to just, erstwhile I enactment him successful the game, play arsenic hard arsenic helium did each different crippled and ne'er enactment his caput down, it was truly impressive," Hurley said. "A batch of kids would get hung up connected thing similar that, but Lu ne'er cared oregon thought astir thing similar that."

So erstwhile it came clip to bless Dort's determination to participate the NBA draught aft conscionable 1 season, Hurley didn't hesitate.

In fact, helium went to New York City with him and his family. But alternatively of celebrating, they waited, unexpectedly sitting successful the draft's greenish country wrong Barclays Center for hours.

Thirty players heard their names called successful the archetypal round. ESPN's draught committee had Dort connected its database for champion disposable players for ages. The 2nd circular started astir 9:30 p.m. and was a blur.

There were 3 minutes betwixt picks then. Five names came disconnected the board. Still nothing. Another five. Nothing. Five more.

Dort and his household continued their achy wait, the country becoming emptier and emptier.

His sanction was ne'er called.

To this day, the reasons for Dort's precipitous autumn are muddled.

One erstwhile wide manager told ESPN that Dort had a mediocre idiosyncratic workout successful beforehand of respective teams that led to questions astir his shooting and shot handling.

Another enforcement speculated that teams couldn't determine if helium projected arsenic a 3-and-D subordinate oregon a scoring guard.

Dort realized thing had gone haywire. Teams were calling his representatives to spot whether he'd see playing overseas for a fewer years. Others were offering nonguaranteed two-way deals.

One of those teams was the Thunder. As destiny would person it, Arizona State was placed successful the Tulsa Regional of the NCAA tourney that year, and OKC's enforcement vice president and wide manager Sam Presti had travel distant impressed with Dort's physicality and determination.

Dort near Barclays Center successful the mediate of the NBA draft's 2nd round.

A fewer hours later, helium agreed to a two-way declaration with the Thunder.

"We each cried. Not lone him, I cried. His ma cried. We each prayed for him," Osse told ESPN. "The expectations were truthful high. What we thought was going to beryllium a enactment ended up similar a funeral. But erstwhile Lu got that telephone from the Thunder, and they were going to motion him to a two-way, determination was nary clip for him to outcry anymore.

"He was going to beryllium to the league that they made a mistake. That was his mentality. He wasn't cursing astatine anyone. He wasn't blaming anyone. It was just, 'You cognize what? They made a mistake and past I'm going to amusement them why.'"

DORT BARELY SLEPT that night. The sooner helium could get retired of New York and to the spot that really wanted him, the better, helium thought.

So helium boarded a formation to Oklahoma City the adjacent greeting and went consecutive to the signifier facility.

Presti was waiting for him with a paper -- and a message.

"This isn't the extremity of your story," Presti told him. "It's the beginning."

Then Presti outlined a developmental program and told him that if helium followed it, the Thunder believed helium could beryllium a beardown NBA player.

"I had truthful galore emotions erstwhile I got here," Dort said. "I was sad, I was pissed. But I was besides like, 'Thank God they gave maine this opportunity.'"

Thunder caput manager Mark Daigneault was connected that season's unit of the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G League team, and happened to beryllium successful the gym to enactment Dort done his archetypal authoritative workout that afternoon.

Later that evening, Dort utilized a ride-hailing work to get to the impermanent lodging the squad sets up for its G Leaguers. He did not person a car oregon immoderate different carnal comforts that archetypal summer.

Eventually, helium convinced his friend, Greg Gilman, who'd been the pupil manager for the Sun Devils, to determination retired to OKC to assistance him train.

Dort would scroll done Instagram and spot scenes and photos of his friends having amusive backmost successful Tempe, oregon rivals from his draught people enjoying their newfound riches. When doing truthful got excessively depressing, particularly precocious astatine night, helium and Gilman would caput backmost to the gym.

"It's Oklahoma City successful the summer," Dort said. "It's hot. There's bugs. It smelled similar canine food." (There's a canine nutrient works adjacent the OKC Blue grooming facility).

But Dort had a blueprint to get to the NBA, and helium was going to halt astatine thing to travel it.

"It was antithetic for some of us," Gilman said. "I'm from Phoenix, he's from Montreal. Here we are successful the mediate of Oklahoma. Oh my God. But it was peaceful, and there's not arsenic overmuch to do. So there's this consciousness that there's thing stopping you from creating your ain destiny. The distractions aren't there. You tin marque this accidental what you privation retired of it."

DORT WAS EVERYTHING Presti and the Thunder hoped he'd beryllium during the archetypal portion of the 2019-20 season.

His antiaircraft quality was unquestioned. And erstwhile the 2 guys up of him successful the pecking order, Hamado Diallo and Terrance Ferguson, got injured, Dort got the call.

In aboriginal December, OKC was astir to spell connected a roadworthy travel to Portland, Utah, Sacramento and Denver. At the time, that meant matching up with Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray. It was a cleanable test.

Lillard changeable 8-for-24, Mitchell went 10-25, Hield 9-24 and Murray 6-for 15 -- each enactment successful Dort's aboriginal enclosure for parts of the game.

By the clip the Thunder made a pleasantly astonishing playoff tally arsenic the NBA resumed play successful Orlando, Florida, pursuing a four-month hiatus owed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dort had go a fixture successful the rotation.

It's however helium ended up connected then-eight-time All-Star Harden successful Game 7 and made his beingness specified hellhole that D'Antoni called for 3 screens conscionable to get Dort disconnected him, if lone for a moment.

"He's benignant of similar artificial quality due to the fact that erstwhile helium learns something," Gilman said, "it compounds and helium learns it precise quickly."

In past season's playoffs, erstwhile the Thunder faced the New Orleans Pelicans successful the archetypal round, Wiggins noticed Dort had picked up connected a Brandon Ingram tell, thing Ingram liked to bash to acceptable up 1 of his champion moves.

Every clip Ingram crossed the shot done his legs, looking to drive, Dort identified it astir immediately.

"He'll chopped disconnected a circumstantial determination that helium recognizes," Wiggins said. "So present [Ingram] has to find thing else."

Ingram changeable conscionable 35% percent successful the bid and averaged conscionable 14 points, arsenic Oklahoma City swept New Orleans.

THAT RELENTLESSNESS HAS translated to the offense, too.

Dort isn't a people talented shooter, but present helium makes much than capable of his shots to support defenses honest. After shooting 29.7% from 3 during his rookie season, helium made implicit 41% this play connected much than 5 attempts per game.

"I watched a batch of movie to spot however teams were guarding me," Dort said. "And I realized that if I played [offense] the mode I play defense, and I'm capable to sound down immoderate large 3s for my teammates, we're going to beryllium hard to halt arsenic a team."

And small gets the Oklahoma City assemblage going similar a flurry of Dort's satellite shot 3-pointers splashing done the net.

That's however the Thunder won Game 5 of their second-round bid against the Nuggets earlier this month. Dort changeable conscionable 1-for-4 from 3 successful the archetypal 3 quarters, then, successful a span of 2:01 of crippled time, deed 3 successful a row.

"That conscionable speaks to the idiosyncratic and the idiosyncratic helium is to measurement into those shots with confidence," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Obviously they were guarding america a definite way. Those shots were there, but they weren't falling. So his braveness to sprout them and assurance to instrumentality them was huge, but thing retired of the ordinary. That's who Lu is."

Still, Dort's calling paper remains.

On Thursday, helium earned his archetypal All-Defensive Team motion aft ranking among the NBA's champion successful assorted antiaircraft categories, including successful the apical 10 successful antiaircraft halfcourt matchups against 2025 All-Stars this season, per GeniusIQ tracking.

For six years now, helium has been assigned to way opponents' astir unsafe players -- nary substance if it's a defender specified arsenic Harden oregon a powerfulness guardant specified arsenic Minnesota's Julius Randle.

Randle dominated the archetypal fractional of Game 1 successful these Western Conference finals, scoring 20 connected 8 shots. But past the Dorture began.

It was astir hard to ticker Dort assemblage Randle 4 consecutive times with 7:02 remaining, lone for Dort to propulsion the seat connected him arsenic the 250-pound guardant tried to backmost him down.

Randle crashed to the floor, untouched. Dort stole the shot from him and fired a walk to Alex Caruso to ignite a Thunder accelerated break.

Randle could lone look connected arsenic Gilgeous-Alexander raced past Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards for a layup to summation the pb to 13.

OKC won by 26.

"He's ever playing against everybody's favourite player," Gilman said. "The different team's 'hero.' So what's the yin and yang of that? He's the villain. He's Lu the Beast. The Dorture Chamber. But if you cognize him arsenic a person, you cognize it's similar Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"He's a grizzly carnivore connected the tribunal and a teddy carnivore disconnected the court."